A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device which has a primary game scheme which involves at least one symbol generator and at least one secondary game which is used to trigger one or more awards.
Contemporary gaming devices such as slot machines include a primary game and one or more bonus rounds. The primary games typically enable a player to generate one or more symbols using a symbol generator. The traditional symbol generator is a set of reels, where each reel displays a plurality of symbols. If the player reaches a predetermined combination of symbols, the player wins a value. In addition, if the player reaches a bonus triggering event, the gaming device advances the player to a bonus round where the player can accumulate additional values. The traditional bonus triggering event occurs when the player reaches a predetermined combination of symbols on a plurality of reels.
The existing primary games provide players with values and bonus triggering events based upon symbols that a player reaches using a symbol generator. These gaming devices do not include secondary games which accompany the symbol generator, wherein the secondary games also provide the player with values, bonus triggering events or other awards.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new game schemes for gaming devices which include a symbol generator and one or more secondary games for providing players with awards such as values and bonus triggering events.
The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings by providing a gaming device having a primary game which includes one or more, but preferably one, symbol generator and one or more secondary games. A symbol generator can be any mechanism in physical or video form, any mathematical calculation or model, any computer program or any technique which generates one or more symbols. Preferably, the symbol generator is a set of rotating reels where each reel displays a set of symbols. However, a symbol generator can involve other concepts such as a rotating wheel divided into a plurality of areas with symbols on those areas, a set of dice, one or more coins or a physical or virtual container which mixes a plurality of symbols and generates one or more symbols.
A secondary game can be any activity which provides a player with the opportunity to gain an award. The term award, as used herein includes one or more values or an opportunity to gain one or more values. Such an opportunity can be provided by triggering a bonus round. Preferably, a secondary game requires the player to complete a plurality of steps before reaching a win condition. When the player reaches a win condition in the secondary game, the gaming device provides the player with an award. Some examples of the preferred secondary games which require step-by-step progression are: (a) games which require a player to align a predetermined number of markers on a grid in a particular pattern; (b) games which involve the player competing against the gaming device, incorporating concepts such as those used in tic-tac toe, chess or checkers; and (c) games involving races and chases where the race or chase is carried out in a step-by-step process.
In operation, when the symbol generator generates one or more predetermined symbols, the gaming device operates or plays one or more secondary games. The gaming device may do so by enabling the player to use an input device to play the secondary game or the gaming device may automatically play the secondary game. If the player reaches a win condition in the secondary game, the gaming device provides the player with an award.
In one preferred embodiment, the symbol generator is a plurality of reels displaying a plurality of symbols, and each reel is associated with an independent secondary game. The secondary game involves a grid including a plurality of locations. When the player aligns a predetermined number of markers in a predetermined pattern on the grid, a win condition occurs. In operation, if a reel displays a predetermined symbol, the gaming device operates or plays the secondary game associated with that reel. The gaming device does so by displaying a marker at a particular location on the associated secondary game. Where the gaming device locates the marker can be predetermined or determined by the computer of the gaming device during the game. Preferably, the reel indicates where the marker will be located with a symbol which bears a message. Each time the reels spin, the process of generating a predetermined symbol and displaying a marker on the associated secondary game repeats itself until a win condition occurs. However, it should be appreciated that the symbols on a reel will not include a marker upon each spin of the reels.
In this embodiment, it is also preferable that each location on the grid of each secondary game is associated with a value. When a marker is positioned on the location, the player gains the value associated with that location. It is also preferable that the gaming device uses a cross-game symbol in conjunction with displaying a marker on a secondary game. A cross-game symbol is any symbol which is used by or displayed on the symbol generator and which is also used by or displayed on the secondary games. Preferably, the cross-game symbol is the same as the marker. Here, each reel displays at least one cross-game symbol, and when the symbol generator generates one or more predetermined symbols, the gaming device moves the cross-game symbol from the reels to the secondary games associated with such reels.
The game scheme of the present invention adds one or more secondary games to the traditional symbol generator used in primary games. When the symbol generator generates one or more predetermined symbols, the gaming device operates or plays one or more secondary games. When a player reaches a win condition in a secondary game, the gaming device provides the player with one or more of a variety of awards. Preferably, the award is a credit, bonus value or the triggering of a bonus round where the player can accumulate additional bonus value or credits.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device having a game scheme involving a symbol generator and secondary award triggering games.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.